A senate RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE the city of seneca UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS one hundred and fiftieth ANNIVERSARY.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to recognize the City of Seneca as it celebrates this important milestone; and

Whereas, Seneca City was chartered in 1873 and incorporated on March 14, 1874. The name, Seneca City, was derived from the 1700s village "Esseneca," inhabited by the indigenous Cherokee people and located on the banks of the nearby Seneca River; and

Whereas, Seneca City was developed at the intersection of the Blue Ridge Railroad and the newly-built Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railroad. A stake marking the center of town was driven into the ground at the intersection of the railroad tracks and the current Townville Street; and

Whereas, in 1906, a new charter was granted by the Secretary of State, and the city became the present-day Seneca; and

Whereas, Seneca is located in the State's most northwestern county of Oconee on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, widely known as the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is the largest city in the county; and

Whereas, Seneca's first school was built in 1874. The community was also home to the Seneca Institute - Seneca Junior College, which was established in 1899 and was reserved for African American students until 1939; and

Whereas, Seneca developed as a marketing and shipping point for cotton, a major commodity crop. Textile mills were eventually built in the area, supplying the main industry for Seneca for the first half of the twentieth century; and

Whereas, in the late twentieth century, major dam projects were constructed on the Keowee and other local rivers, supporting recreation and public utilities and creating three major lakes: Lake Hartwell, Lake Keowee, and Lake Jocassee; and

Whereas, in 2014, the micropolitan city became home of the world's first all-electric bus fleet; and

Whereas, the City of Seneca will mark its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary with events throughout the 2023 year, including Sesquicentennial Restaurant Week, Sesquicentennial Picnic in the Park, a celebration and laser show during Memoria Day weekend, an anniversary celebration on the Fourth of July, and a Sesquicentennial Festival; and

Whereas, the people of Seneca have been and continue to be warm and welcoming to newcomers relocating to the area and to visitors from around the world. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate the City of Seneca upon the occasion of its one hundredth and fiftieth anniversary.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Daniel W. Alexander, Mayor Pro Tempore Ronnie O'Kelley, and city council members Lekesha Benson, Scott Durham, WC Honeycutt, Jr., Dana Moore, Denise Rozman, and Joel Ward.

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